Good morning! We are recovering nicely from yesterday's festivities. The kids are still sleeping, Adam's making pancakes, and I'm pretending that it doesn't look like Toys R Us vomited in the living room.

My brother-in-law made/talked-me-into-making Hot Buttered Rum yesterday. I'd never had it before, but when it was brought up, I was happy to have a bookmarked recipe from Karen in Montana. So we went to Safeway on Christmas to buy rum. Which was weird and adventurous all at the same time.

to add later:shot or 2 of rumsplash of egg nog (Karen likes the pumpkin egg nog, but we couldn't find it)

The Directions.

Use a 2-4 quart crockpot.Add water, brown sugar, butter, salt, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and nutmeg to the crockpot. Cover and cook on high for 1-2 hours, or until the butter has melted and the mixture is quite hot. Ladle into a mug with a shot or 2 of rum, and add a splash of egg nog.

Garnish with a sprinkle of nutmeg and cinnamon if you'd like.

The Verdict.

Delicious. My mother-in-law even liked this, and she doesn't drink. The one thing to keep in mind is that if your egg nog is right from the fridge, it will make the butter harden in the mug if you add too much. It might be best to take a bit out of the fridge and let it get to room temperature while the butter and sugar cook in the crock. My sister-in-law is pregnant, and she enjoyed plain egg nog with the butter and brown sugar. The kids were already so hopped up on chocolate I didn't offer them a virgin one to try.

I have been following your blog for a little while and I got a 4qt crockpot for Christmas. I see that you have tags to different types of foods, but you don't have a search function for different sized crocks...is there any way to search quickly through your recipes for that? Though I don't mind perusing them all again...hehe.

that's a fantastic idea. I haven't done that. A 4 quart will work with pretty much all of the main courses and side dishes, unless it makes a huge honking amount, like some of the soups/bean dishes. Taco Soup sticks out in my mind as needing a 6 quart, but you can always shrink down the quanities in those-type dishes.If you have a question about a specific dish in the mean time, email me, and I'll let you know what I think.xoxosteph

Whitney, you can also search the blog in general at the top of the page, left hand corner. Type the size crock you want to explore and click "search this blog". You'll get responses based on that. It may prove frustrating, but if you're specifically looking for "4 quart" it might help narrow some things down for you.

Warmest wishes for a joyful holiday season! Thank you for so many yummy recipes and inspiration. Please, please write a crockpot cookbook! Your blog is better than any of the current slow cooker books out there. I love your recipes, comments, and warm humor, as well as your readers' feedback. So helpful and generous. Thank you and Happy New Year!

The crockpot makers should totally be PAYING you for this blog (are you listening Rival, Hamilton Beach?), because I asked for and got a crockpot another crockpot! 3 Qt this time to go along with my Smart Pot.

I'm still dreaming about the lobster bisque. Did you use frozen lobster tails or fresh? I can't find fresh, but I found plenty of frozen. Maybe I could just use them and increase the cooking time slightly. Or thaw them.

I'm so sad to see the end of your blog year, but I'm a little excited to see what your New Year's resolution is for next year.

Sounds tasty! I've only recently *say, within the last month* discovered your site and have fallen madly in love. I found a recipe for pork ribs in the slow-cooker on another site but wanted to ask YOU since you've been head-over-heels in love with your crock-pot....

How does one get burnt-cement-like BBQ sauce off of a crock pot? We've soaked in hot water for nearly 4 days now - with just hot water, water and soap, water and vinegar, water and baking soda, and finally, water and baking soda in the pot while plugged in for two hours on low. Do you have any other suggestions? I am supposed to be making your turkey meatballs for my husband's family get together tomorrow and we have crock-pot less!

do you have a dishwasher? You can put 1/4 cup dishwasher detergent into the crock, and cook it on high with a bunch of water for about six hours, then run through the washer on a normal cycle if there is still residue. If you have a fabric softener sheet lying around, you can throw that in with the 6 hr soak, too.

Hello,I know your year is almost up but I posed a ham soup recipe on my site. Thought you might want to check it out!Merry Christmas - I can't wait to see what the New Year's Eve recipe is.Ps. I also love the toaster oven idea!!

ohh the toaster oven one would be cool! but not for your family size however. have to admit i am seriously addicted and sad to see the year come to an end for you. like one of the other comments above, are you going to keep the site up for everyone who just recently found the blog?

I find it funny that you can buy RUM! at Safeway! Here in WA State, hard liquor is sold only in State run liquor stores. You can get wine and beer at the grocers, but not the hard stuff.

I don't drink much but after the massive snows we have had in the Seattle area (where we don't cope well with snowy weather) I may have to darn well visit a state liquor store soon! Fortunately there is one within walking distance, (and ironically right next door to a Safeway!)

Stephanie - We don't have a dishwasher right now. But I do have dishwasher detergent from when we had a dishwasher in our townhouse. So, I could put that in AND a fabric softener sheet with tons o' water for 6 hours on low? high? I have a SmartPot and it gets SUPER SUPER hot. Thanks :)

Sandee, that's a really good idea, but you'd only be able to add a drop of rum, not the 5-10 shots...:-)

Amanda, okay. Yes, cook it on low then if your crock gets really hot with the detergent and the fabric softener sheets, then wash normally by hand. If you still have some discoloration, I, personally, would just use it. At least you'll know it's clean gook. ;-)A tomato or other acidic-based cooking sauce will help the crock regain it's rightful gleam.

For those wanting the rum flavor without the alcohol, the best way I can think of to do that is add a small amount of rum extract! I've never tried it personally, but I know my mom used to substitute it for vanilla extract in other things... Just start with a couple drops added to your prepared mug, then adjust from there if needed.

hot buttered rum is awesome! making i in the crockpot sounds even better. Its my favorite grownup flu medicine ;)-as in I have the flu and rum kaes it easier o ignore the kids and he mess they are making hahaha

I've been making this at least every other day for the last 2 weeks. We LOVE it! I have one question, hopefully someone can help. Christmas season is almost over. Does anyone have any suggestions on what to replace the egg nog with? I went to buy some today, and already there isn't any in store!

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